Now Reading: Nepal says original Sugauli Treaty papers missing amid border row
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Nepal says original Sugauli Treaty papers missing amid border row
Nepal says original Sugauli Treaty papers missing amid border row
Nepal's foreign minister Shishir Khanal told Parliament the government does not have clear information on whether it possesses the original 1816 Sugauli Treaty, the document that defined the Himalayan nation's boundary with…
The Story in Brief
Nepal's foreign minister Shishir Khanal told Parliament the government does not have clear information on whether it possesses the original 1816 Sugauli Treaty, the document that defined the Himalayan nation's boundary with British India. Khanal said some treaty-related documents are in the National Archives but their status as official originals is unclear. The 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India is also untraceable.
The disclosure comes as tensions with India have risen after Nepal's prime minister Balendra Shah accused India of encroachment in Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. India has rejected the claims and any third-party role, saying 98% of the border is already demarcated. The missing treaty issue is not new: a parliamentary committee in July 2024 and an earlier inquiry in 2016 both failed to locate the originals.
The Indian Opinion
Nepal's inability to produce a 209-year-old treaty is not evidence of a weak claim, but it weakens its case in the court of public opinion. India has rightly insisted on bilateral talks, but its own stand on Lipulekh cannot rest solely on a treaty neither side can produce. The real test will be whether both countries finally agree on a joint survey of the disputed stretches, maps in hand, not recriminations.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
